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for IAG said: “The Z Series is the<br />
pinnacle of Quad’s enclosure speakers<br />
and features the largest ribbon treble<br />
unit that I’ve ever used, giving the<br />
Z Series a clarity and definition<br />
throughout the upper midrange and<br />
treble that is utterly beguiling. This<br />
combines with the acoustic filter bass<br />
reflex system and low-coloration<br />
enclosure to deliver the perfect<br />
embodiment of the natural sonic<br />
realism that is the hallmark of Quad."<br />
The Z Series is launched as part of<br />
Quad's 80th anniversary celebrations<br />
and is available in black, white or<br />
rosewood piano lacquered finishes.<br />
Z-1 standmounts in<br />
sumptuous rosewood<br />
COMMENT<br />
DEVIL'S ADVOCATE:<br />
RECORD STORE DAY<br />
Over the years, HFC has proudly<br />
championed the vinyl format – at times<br />
being a lone voice crying out in the<br />
wilderness among the naysayers that<br />
favour digital over the pure pleasure that<br />
comes from the black stuff. And now,<br />
it would appear that our out-dated,<br />
old-fashioned thoughts on the matter<br />
have been adopted by the mainstream<br />
as records have once again become the<br />
format de jour. But while we're delighted<br />
that the general public is realising<br />
something that we've been banging on<br />
about for years, we can't help but feel a<br />
sense of dismay about what the popularity<br />
of vinyl means for the independent record<br />
labels that stayed true to the format. And<br />
nowhere is this better illustrated than by<br />
Record Store Day.<br />
In the past we've been a big supporter<br />
of the annual event, but we can't help but<br />
feel that it has rather lost its way. As we<br />
write these words, RSD 2016 is a couple of<br />
weeks away and we can predict how it will<br />
go. Like previous years, on the morning of<br />
Saturday 16 April stores will open to find<br />
queues of punters eager to get their hands<br />
on the exclusives. And like previous years,<br />
most of these people will be making their<br />
one and only trip to the store until next year.<br />
It's difficult not to draw similarities between<br />
these 'bargain hunters' forming an orderly<br />
line and those that camp out for days<br />
outside an Apple store to be first to get a<br />
the latest iPhone. These are not the sort of<br />
people that support their local record store<br />
during the other 51 weeks of the year.<br />
They're not the supporter of the indie label<br />
that can't get it's records pressed in the lead<br />
up to April, as the plants are getting Justin<br />
Bieber or Ghostbusters discs cut for the<br />
ebay dealers and johnny-come-latelies<br />
willing to splash the cash on novelty discs.<br />
Back when RSD started, its goal was to<br />
draw people back into record shops, and to<br />
keep them coming back. In an era where<br />
supermarkets are stocking the black stuff<br />
again, the old strategy no longer works and<br />
is actually having a detrimental effect on the<br />
very labels, stores and fans that it should be<br />
supporting. It's time for a serious rethink.<br />
MAY 2016 7